The continent of faith” “

The European Union is looking eastwards for its future enlargement from fifteen to twenty-seven states. How does the Orthodox world react to this eventuality? There are those who maintain that the Orthodox Church is trying to curb enlargement out of its fear of the impact of the culture of Western Europe. But this view is emphatically not shared by the Romanian theologian Radu Preda , professor at the Faculty of Orthodox theology at the University of Cluj-Napoca, and head of the press office of the Romanian Orthodox archdiocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj. We interviewed him. Professor Preda, what is the point of view of the Orthodox world on the EU’s enlargement to Eastern Europe? “Enlargement represents both an opportunity and a provocation. The opportunity is also somewhat paradoxical: just at the beginning of the 21st century, in a critical moment of contemporary history that seems to be ‘abandoned by God’, we are experiencing the European project as a rediscovery of the same shared values. From a theological point of view, the enlargement of the EU to Eastern Europe means trying to harmonize the political continent with the continent of faith. The Romanian Orthodox Church is very conscious of the challenges of European integration, which cannot be reduced to the economic dimension but must also comprise the cultural and spiritual dimensions. The European continent has a need for a soul, and an ethos. In this context, our Church wishes to engage in a dialogue with the EU institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg”. What relation between the EU and the countries of Eastern and Central Europe do the citizens of Romania hope for? “Ever since the collapse of the Communist regime we had the impression that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were considered lands to be colonized by the Western countries. Then, as now, there was talk of so-called European standards, which imply not only a necessary reference to the exercise of democracy by our fledgling political class, but also a kind of moral compromise. In this sense, our hope is that the EU will be able to transmit encouraging signs and messages with a view to better understanding the problems of a transition threatened by fear of the diversity of others. We must not confuse enlargement with integration. Enlargement may be a mere synonym for colonization, whereas European integration means full respect for national religious and cultural identity”. What are the relations between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in Romania? “The relations between the Orthodox, who constitute the majority, and the Catholics of oriental rite are much improved today, thanks to the ‘Commissions of bilateral dialogue’ at the central and local levels. We cannot, however, ignore the existence of points of dissent, fomented by sections of the press, both religious and secular. We hope that local ecumenism, which is the guarantee of international ecumenism, may assume ever greater substance and importance. This is also the joint message launched by our Patriarch Teoctist and by John Paul II”. The Pope’s recent visit to the Ukraine and the hopes for a visit to Moscow: what influence, in your view, may such visits have on ecumenical dialogue? “John Paul II’s pilgrimage to the European Christian East of Byzantine tradition represents, in our view, the concrete fruit of the ecumenical opening that this papacy expressed in the Encyclical ‘Ut Unum Sint’ of 1995. The Bishop of Rome and Patriarch of the West is knocking at the doors of the sister Churches and these are being opened. It’s true that the papal journeys to Eastern Europe also give rise to some reservations in the Orthodox world: we must consider this a consequence of a thousand years of separate history. Despite that, I am convinced that the ecumenical dialogue will find in these signs the promise of a greater and more visible rapprochement”.